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SBV Project KCF Technologies Wireless Sensor for Measuring Pump Efficiency

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Background & Need • Pumping systems account for nearly 40% of the

world’s electrical energy demand and range from 25-50% of the energy usage in many industrial and building power plants.

• The energy cost is the largest element in the total cost of owning a pump (~40%).

• Since it is known that the average pump operates at efficiency well below 50%, obviously there is a great need for improving energy efficiency in pump operations.

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Background & Need • In 2016 the US Department of Energy

(DOE) issued the first-ever energy efficiency standard for commercial and industrial pumps.

• The DOE intends to adopt a Minimum Efficiency Index (MEI) that is central to existing European Union (EU) standards.

• To comply with this new standard, pump manufacturers will need to have available a certified test facility on which to measure the efficiency over the full range of their pump selections.

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Background & Need • The approximate cost of installing a certified

pump test facility is in the range of $1M. • Of the 450 pump companies in the U. S., only the

largest manufacturers own such a facility. • The others must contract commercial testing

facilities for certified performance testing. • For example, contract testing of a 25hp pump /

motor in a state-of-the-art test loop costs between $5k~$7k.

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Background • SBV Award Partner KCF Technologies • KCF Technologies develops and commercializes products

and solutions for industry and the military. • The company was founded in November, 2000 by three

researchers from Penn State University and specializes in wireless sensors, energy harvesting, underwater navigation and smart material devices.

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Project Overview • The purpose of this CRADA project is to facilitate

the deployment and demonstration of KCF Technologies’ new cost effective, wireless sensor technology for measuring pump efficiency.

• The monitoring technology would play a major role in providing technology to U.S. pump manufacturers and end-users of an affordable measurement method to assess pump efficiency to aid in improved energy performance.

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Project Overview • The wireless sensor technology for pump

efficiency monitoring will be deployed, tested, and validated on ORNL test assets.

• The Flexible Research Platform (FRP) #2 Structure will be used for the deployment. – Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) Research Water

System – Significant Instrumentation Available to Validate

New Technology

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Project Overview • The new KCF method uses a

thermodynamic approach that requires very precise temperature measurements on the inlet and outlet of the pump.

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• Legacy approaches require various measurements: – fluid measurements of pressure and flow – motor power measurements.

• KCF method only requires pressure and temperature measurements.

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Project Overview

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Data From ORNL Testing

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Project Status • KCF representative visited ORNL in April and

met with the ORNL team. – Gary Koopman (KCF) – David Fugate, Xiaobing Liu, Tony Gehl, Mahabir

Bhandari ORNL) – Xylem Pumps representative Taifur Rhaman joined

by teleconference

• Project plans and details were finalized.

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Project Status • The ORNL completed some modifications and

enhancements to the FRP#2 GSHP water system for the sensor deployment.

• KCF sensors were installed and commissioned. • The testing began in September and analysis of

the initial results indicates a positive initial approach.

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Project Status • Installed Sensors on FRP#2 GSHP Water System

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• ORNL Instrumentation Provides Validation Reference Data

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Project Status • Installed Sensors on FRP#2 GSHP Water System

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• Initial Results are Favorable • Next Steps

Are Additional Testing at Different Operating Conditions

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BUILDINGS

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Project Details • Project started in February 2016 with a one year

duration planned. • Project budget is $100k for ORNL research and

engineering and $25k for KCF cost share.

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Project Details

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Technical Details

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Methods for Measuring Pump Efficiency. Most Common Method: Equation 6 is the current method for measuring pump efficiency, the one that DOE ONRL is using for benchmarking. Difficulties for this measurement involves measuring flow rates and motor output and efficiency, the efficiency being a bit of a guess. Measuring input torque and RPM is an alternative for getting input power but that is very difficult, so most companies use motor output power. Measuring flow rates is expensive and often problematic because assumptions about the velocity profile in the pipe need to be made. Of course, measuring pressures is easy and straightforward.

Thermodynamic Method – this method for measuring pump efficiency avoids the need for measuring input power AND flow rate by focusing only on the temperature and pressure differences between the suction side and discharge side of the pump, as given in the formula below. Note that we need to know also the fluid density and thermo coefficient but both are weak functions of temperature, which we are measuring simultaneously anyway.

Regarding KCF Technologies latest set of measurements (done remotely with withless sensors) , the pump system at the ORNL’s laboratory was set to run at its designed optimum operating condition, which gives an efficiency of ~52 %. Remotely, KCF calculated efficiencies of 53% consistently using delta T and delta P measurements averaged over 100+ data points, thus providing confidence that we can claim accuracies to within +/- 2-3% which for most practical purposes is quite acceptable in industry.

Methods for Measuring Pump Efficiency. Most Common Method: Equation 6 is the current method for measuring pump efficiency, the one that DOE ONRL is using for benchmarking. Difficulties for this measurement involves measuring flow rates and motor output and efficiency, the efficiency being a bit of a guess. Measuring input torque and RPM is an alternative for getting input power but that is very difficult, so most companies use motor output power. Measuring flow rates is expensive and often problematic because assumptions about the velocity profile in the pipe need to be made. Of course, measuring pressures is easy and straightforward.

Thermodynamic Method – this method for measuring pump efficiency avoids the need for measuring input power AND flow rate by focusing only on the temperature and pressure differences between the suction side and discharge side of the pump, as given in the formula below. Note that we need to know also the fluid density and thermo coefficient but both are weak functions of temperature, which we are measuring simultaneously anyway.

Regarding KCF Technologies latest set of measurements (done remotely with withless sensors) , the pump system at the ORNL’s laboratory was set to run at its designed optimum operating condition, which gives an efficiency of ~52 %. Remotely, KCF calculated efficiencies of 53% consistently using delta T and delta P measurements averaged over 100+ data points, thus providing confidence that we can claim accuracies to within +/- 2-3% which for most practical purposes is quite acceptable in industry.

Efficiency =

P

P

+Cp T